


Up We Go

by melchimaus



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 08:39:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18340103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melchimaus/pseuds/melchimaus
Summary: Fear and hope in a hospital room.





	Up We Go

Katniss was tired, but she didn’t want to close her eyes. It wasn’t fear keeping her awake, which might have been helpful, what with the adrenaline, but instead an intense feeling of contentment. She was too warm, and uncomfortably damp, but all that paled in comparison to the small bundle of blankets she held to her chest. Tiny pink lips were latched onto her nipple, the sensation strange, but she didn’t want it to stop. She wanted to cry for some reason but sniffed back the tears.

 

The baby finished suckling, turned her head, nuzzling her breast with her nose, and yawned. Katniss let out a shaky breath and tugged the blankets closer around her body.

 

“Peeta,” she whispered, as the baby blinked blearily, giving her a glimpse of pale blue eyes. She felt her husband get up from his chair, which had been pushed right up against the bed, and settle on the mattress next to her. He wrapped an arm around her, and softly stroked the baby’s forehead.

 

“Hi Stella,” he murmured. Stella scrunched her nose at his touch, but quickly relaxed again, letting a puff of air out of her small puckered mouth. “We love you so much,” he continued, his voice choking on the words. Katniss finally tore her gaze away from their daughter to look at him. Tears brimmed his eyes, and she leaned toward him to kiss his cheek, before resting her head on his shoulder.

 

“Why are we crying?” she asked wetly.

 

Peeta chuckled. “I don’t know.” He turned so their foreheads were touching. “I love you so much.” He pressed his lips to hers. “Both of you.”

 

A snort from the corner interrupted their embrace. They turned to see Haymitch jerk in his chair, before his eyes flew open, his hands flying to the armrests, gripping them tightly. There was a wildness to his eyes as he scanned the room, but he settled when he saw Peeta and Katniss together on the bed. He cleared his throat. “You allowed to be on there?”

 

The couple stared blankly at him, then went back to ignoring him. “Do you need anything?” Peeta asked.

 

“I’m okay,” she answered, and shifted a little. Peeta immediately started rearranging the pillows behind her back so she could be more comfortable. Katniss let him, then sighed when she leaned back again. “Thank you,” she said and smiled. Peeta kissed her again, and they turned to look at Stella, who had fallen asleep. With their faces so close, Katniss could feel Peeta’s lashes against her cheek as he struggled to keep his own eyes open. “Do you want to hold her?”

 

“I do,” he said quietly, bringing one hand up to cradle Stella’s head, but stopping before he could touch her. “But she’s so delicate.” He slowly lowered his thumb to brush against her cheek, then pulled his hand back. He raised his voice. “I’m gonna go get some coffee.”

 

“I’ll come with ya,” said Haymitch. He groaned as he rose, stretching out his limbs. “If you need to… do stuff,” he said to Katniss, and gestured in her direction.

 

“Just go,” she said flatly.

 

“Just trying to help,” he muttered, and made his way to the door. Peeta dropped a quick kiss on Stella’s forehead, then got up to follow him.

 

Katniss leaned further back into the pillows, and lowered Stella so she was resting in her lap. She kept one hand around the baby’s head, stroking her pale eyebrows. She was a _mother_. It still didn’t feel real. She thought about all the years she had spent taking care of Prim, and yet, this was different. She could feel the tears starting to return. She had loved Prim, and still loved her, would do anything for her, but those early years were clouded in desperation; it had been a role that had been thrust upon her. Now, with Stella and Peeta, she felt confident that things would be okay; life was better now. She wasn’t alone anymore.

 

A crash jerked her out of her reverie, and Katniss held Stella closer to her chest as she sat up, heart pounding. A loud hacking guffaw echoed down the hall, and she shoved the covers off her legs, and made to get up. Her legs shook as she shifted her weight forward, and she grasped the headboard, fingers going white with the effort. Stella wailed at the changes around her, so Katniss sat back down, attempting to rock and shush her newborn while craning her neck, trying to see out the doorway.

 

The laugh had softened to chuckling, and Haymitch shuffled into the room, followed by Prim, who had an arm around Peeta, supporting him. Katniss gasped.

 

“Peeta!” She reached an arm out for him as they approached. Prim moved to deposit him into his bedside chair, but Katniss waved them closer, scooting to the side to allow him room to rest with her. “What happened?”

 

He winced as he lay down, and groaned, holding one hand to the back of his head. “Nothing. I fell.”

 

“Let me get you some ice,” Prim said and went to the small fridge in the corner of the room.

 

“The baby’s not even a day old, and you’re both out of commission,” Haymitch chortled. He sank into Peeta’s former chair and shook his head. “I hope you don’t expect me to babysit. I don’t do well with other people’s crap.”

 

Katniss ignored him. “What happened?” she repeated, running one hand through Peeta’s hair. He sighed but didn’t say anything. “Was it your prosthetic? A flashback?” He turned his head, directing Katniss’s fingers to a different spot, but remained silent. She thought back to when she first heard the crash. “Did Haymitch push you?”

 

Peeta snorted. “No. He didn’t do a very good job of warning me, though.”

 

“Hey,” Haymitch exclaimed. “"The 'Caution Floor is Wet’ sign was there, so it’s not my fault you can’t read.”

 

“We’ve been awake for hours, Haymitch! You should’ve warned him, not laughed at him!” Katniss glared at him, but the old man simply rolled his eyes.

 

“Yeah, _definitely_ won’t be babysitting anytime soon.”

 

“Haymitch, be nice or get out,” Prim said as she returned to the bed. He opened his mouth but shut it again under her glare and ambled out of the room.

 

Katniss was miffed that Prim had been able to control Haymitch so easily, but focused back on her husband, who accepted the ice pack graciously, and pressed it to the back of his head.

 

“Okay,” Prim said, and placed her hands on his side. “Can you turn to your side?” He nodded again. “Okay, Katniss, shift over a bit so I can look at his back.”

 

They obeyed. Peeta rolled over and reached a hand up to caress Stella. She had quieted since the three of them had entered the room and was now looking around her and squirming as much as she could in her swaddling clothes. At Peeta’s touch, she let out a soft coo. Peeta hissed.

“Does that hurt a lot?” Prim asked.

 

“Just a twinge,” Peeta replied. Katniss eyed him anxiously; he didn’t seem to be lying. Even so, she tried to catch Prim’s eye over Peeta’s torso. Prim smiled comfortingly in return.

 

“Well, you have some bruising, but nothing serious. Are you nauseous at all? Dizzy?” She reached for his ice pack.

 

“Just tired,” Peeta sighed. He returned the ice pack and rolled onto his back, pulling one of the pillows down to cushion his head.

 

“Still, take it easy the next couple of days, okay?” Prim stood up and rounded the bed. “Now, can I hold my little niece?”

 

Katniss held Stella tighter to her chest. “You already held her.”

 

“For five seconds, when they cut her cord,” Prim whined, and Katniss couldn’t help but smile at her petulant tone. Peeta touched her thigh, and reluctantly, she handed her daughter over.

 

“Hi Stella,” Prim greeted her in a high-pitched voice. “I’m your Auntie Primrose.”

 

Rough fingers twined with hers, and he tore her eyes away to look at her husband. He had shifted again so he could see Prim and Stella as well. Prim had sat down at the foot of the bed, murmuring soft sounds to the newborn. Katniss snuggled closer to him, until they were pressed completely side by side. “You’re a dad, now.”

 

Peeta scoffed. “Not a very good one. Haymitch was right. It’s only been a few hours and I’ve already been injured. What if I had been holding her?”

 

“Peeta.” Her sharp tone made Prim look up, but Katniss ignored her. “It was an accident. It happens.”

 

“She’s right, Peeta,” Prim chimed in. She brought Stella back to them and settled her on Peeta’s chest. Peeta brought his arms up to steady her, but Katniss could see the tension in his arms. She leaned over to kiss his forehead.

 

“I asked if you wanted to hold her before you left,” she said, sliding down the bed until they were facing each other. “You said no. You knew you were tired. You would never let anything hurt our daughter.” She paused and placed a hand on top of his. “Stella is going to be so loved by you. That’s what being a good dad means.”

 

Prim placed a hand on top of Peeta’s arm, and he turned to look at her. “Raising a child can be difficult,” she said, and Katniss swore Prim’s eyes had flicked towards hers for a second. “But I know you, Peeta. You can do it. I believe in you. And more importantly, so does Katniss. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be holding her, now.” She stuck her tongue out at her sister, then continued. “You’re both going to be amazing parents.”

Peeta took a shaky breath. He brought his daughter closer to his face. “You think so?” he asked.

 

Stella yawned, and he gave a choked laugh. “Is that a no?”

 

“That was an enthusiastic yes,” Prim replied. “Trust me. I’m a professional.” They all chuckled.

 

Katniss smiled and reached for her sister’s other hand. This was her family now. Everything was going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Everlark Fic Exchange. 
> 
> Prompt 59: "The 'caution floor is wet’ sign was there, so it’s not my fault you can’t read.“ [submitted by anonymous] 
> 
> I hope you like it, anon! Come find me on tumblr @sandyeyes <3


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